Former Cowshed bar now the showcase for local “nano”-brewery
A couple who started by homebrewing and have supplied beer to the last few beer festivals in Oxford, Justin and Sam Evans, have taken the plunge by opening their own premises in the centre of Abingdon. On May 1 they re-opened the former Cowshed Drinks bar in Stert Street and renamed it the Craftsman Taproom, but are not responsible for the former operator’s liabilities.
Cowshed opened in December 2022 and was more of a bottle shop than a bar, with very limited seating. Craftsman has expanded seating capacity to about 40, with one of its own cask ales and three of its kegs on the bar, a full range of its bottled production, plus boxed ciders and a good choice of wines. All draught beer and boxed cider costs £5 a pint, with a 20p discount for CAMRA members.
Justin revealed that he had been looking for a pub for several years, including the Cross Keys in Abingdon before its conversion into flats. He also considered the Old Anchor Inn on the riverside, which closed two years ago and is still up for lease, but was put off by very high business rates.
Both Justin (a carpentry teacher) and Sam (a nursery chef) continue to work in other jobs, but Sam is running the bar, in the former Added Ingredients deli. Opening hours are 5-10.30pm on Thursdays and Fridays, 10am-10.30pm on Saturdays and 11am-6pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays, but closed Mondays to Wednesdays.
Craftsman beers have already won critical acclaim, and its Naughty Pappa IPA (4%) and Scooby Dooby Doo IPA (also 4%) were the first to sell out at last year’s Oxford festival. The beer available on the hand pump will rotate, starting with Magic Midget bitter (4%) recalling the MG Midget car which was made in Abingdon and gave its name to a Greene King pub on Preston Road, recently renamed the Roaring Raindrop.
“We started brewing at home in 2016 and by 2021 we had a 100-litre kit — a nano-brewery really — but we have got to have 200- to 300-litre capacity to keep the taproom supplied so we are looking at new premises,” said Justin. “We have been selling beer at local markets and festivals, and a few pubs including Cowshed and the Grapes in Oxford, White Hart in Wolvercote and Kings Arms in Wantage.
“We have looked at small breweries in various places, and a visit to Church Hanbrewery really whetted our appetite. We have been made very welcome by the Oxfordshire brewing community, and being part of CAMRA and going on its trips has been very helpful too.
“Micropubs have got a bright future if they attract the right clientele, and we’ve made an encouraging start. We’re not doing this for the money, and we would worry if it was our sole business. We’re doing it because Craftsman has a following, and we’re at the heart of the community.”